The pictures came in one after the other: a statue of Arash the Archer, a mythological character believed to have shot an arrow marking the border of ancient Iran. Next, a picture of Picasso’s Guernica, one of the world’s most famous paintings opposing war.
A resident of Tehran sent the pictures via WhatsApp with a message: Iranians are proud nationalists with a long history, and do not want conflict.
“Our nation knows how to resist and stand firm. In difficult times, everyone stands by Iran, regardless of their religion or belief,” the person, a foreign policy researcher, told The National, asking to remain anonymous.
Even Iranians who oppose the country’s system of Islamic governance have criticised Israel's strikes in conversations with The National. The attacks have killed at least 224 people over five days, with more than 1,200 others taken to hospital, said Iran’s Health Ministry, including women and children. While deeply rooted in their communities, many Iranians fearing the unknown are deciding to pack up and leave in search of safety.
As Israeli strikes continue and the civilian death toll rises, Iranians are faced with a decision: should I stay or should I go?
“People are going where they think is out of the missiles’ reach,” another Tehran resident told The National.
For years, Iran had kept direct conflict with Israel, and other threats, at bay. It supported Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. It sent military advisers to Syria and Iraq to support Bashar Al Assad and, it said, fend off ISIS, whose presence once extended worryingly close to Iran's own borders.
But now, citing imminent threats from Iran, Israel has attacked, ushering in the worst direct conflict that Iran has seen since the 1980-1988 war with Iraq. Iran, which denies it is seeking nuclear arms, has launched missiles and drones back at Israel, claiming at least 24 lives, Israeli authorities have said.
“Every night, people are gathering in safe areas and waiting for either Israel or Iran to strike. It’s a really dire situation,” a resident of Isfahan told The National. “People are coming together, they have lived in war. It’s a really tough situation.”
People are going where they think is out of the missiles’ reach
Resident of Tehran
As well as striking remote military and nuclear sites, Israel has also struck densely populated areas of cities such as Tehran, including the busy Tajrish district. As it has done in Gaza and Lebanon, the Israeli military on Monday issued an evacuation warning for part of Area 3 in north-eastern Tehran.
It said it would carry out “actions to attack the Iranian regime's military infrastructure”. The area houses the city’s international exhibition centre and a sports complex.
In a later social media post, US President Donald Trump said “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran”. The post was published in English around 3am Iran time. "I just want people to be safe," he later told journalists in explanation for the post.
Many Iranians have criticised the sudden evacuation orders for a city of around 10 million people, a population that swells on weekdays. On social media, users posted panicked messages about family members living in the area that Israel said it would attack.
Despite the threats, some people are not leaving their homes.
“Tehran is a populous and important city and is not being evacuated at all,” the foreign policy researcher said. “The situation is special, but we are not a nation state that was just created yesterday. We are defending ourselves and adapting to the new circumstances.”
But others, fearing the conflict may escalate further and uncertain of their safety, have either left, or are planning to. Mosques, schools and metro stations are available as shelters, an Iranian government spokeswoman has said, and authorities deny shortages of basic food. But unlike in Israel, Iranian cities do not have networks of official bomb shelters and air defence systems are limited.
Images showed long queues of traffic as people tried to leave Tehran, and social media users posted videos and pictures of the front doors of their homes before leaving.
"People don't know what they are supposed to do in this situation," the Isfahan resident said. "Out of fear, they think the best thing to do is to leave the cities."
The National spoke to one resident of Tehran who had left his home for another city in Iran, and another who was planning his route out.
“It is really scary,” he said. “I have to find a way to leave the city and probably the country.”
Closures of shops, government offices and other businesses make the Iranian capital feel “closed”, another resident said.
“Look, many people left Tehran,” he told The National. “Because the offices are closed, it's practically as if Tehran is closed. But people in service jobs and the people that have to stay, they all stayed.”
Some people are going to the holy city of Qom, normally a two-hour drive south of Tehran, while others are heading to northern regions bordering the Caspian Sea, the man added.
Queues are appearing to buy fuel, he said, and sent The National a picture of one petrol station surrounded by cars. “The petrol stations are operating, they are working, everyone wants petrol," he added. "It’s a long queue. People are waiting for one, one and a half hours.”
Iranians hope Mr Trump could end the conflict by placing pressure on Israel to end the attacks. The Iranian military has said its counter-attacks will continue as long as Israel keeps striking. But people have mixed feelings about how willing or able the US President is to de-escalate.
“I hope Trump can stop this," another Tehran resident told The National over the phone. “Because if he doesn’t, it will get much worse, it will be completely insane."
The overwhelming sense is that Iranians do not want any more conflict.
“If only the war would end, somehow,” the Isfahan resident said.
Additional reporting by Nada Atallah in Beirut
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Rating: 3/5
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
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2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
